Summoned
by Aurora Katastrophia
Summary: Christa, a normal woman from this world, is mysteriously transported into the land of D'hara, and straight into a certain Lord Rahl's throne room. What will happen to Christa? How will Darken Rahl react? What about the seeker?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One.

Christa smiled as she began to doze off. It had been a decent day, and for once, there hadn't been any drama. Long lashes made dark feathery crescents under her eyelids, contrasting the pale perfection of her complexion. Softly falling rain and the muted sound of traffic outside of her window acted to further lull her into sleep. ….

Piercing every color eyes looked out the tall arched window of the People's Palace as rain began to fall from the iron grey clouds above; making everything in his castle more somber than it normally was. The circular marble table behind him had once hummed with the power of orden, a comforting song; but now it stood empty and grey. The boxes had long since been destroyed by the damn Seeker. His gaze intensified as his thoughts turned yet again to his accursed half brother, and his pristinely ungifted half sister. His family, even his father Panis Rahl had betrayed him at every turn, acting only to thwart him. All he had wanted was to rule the Midlands, Westlands and Hartlands in peace. He had wanted to bring order to the world. True enough that he had to do it through force and subjugation, but the end result would have been good for the people. The slight wind blew his shoulder length black hair slightly away from his face, bringing with it the scent of the rain.

Egremont walked up behind him, he knew the man's steps by sound alone at this point. The loyal fellow had served him well for many years.

"My Lord Rahl." He said by way of announcing his presence.

"What is it Egremont?" Asked Lord Rahl, his voice entirely bored.

"My Lord, something rather…strange…has happened in the throne room." Darken Rahl turned to fix his gaze upon his most trusted, well his only trusted advisor really.

"And what would that be Egremont?" His long sweeping red robe whispered upon the floor as he moved past the empty table and towards Egremont, fiddling with the ring of House Rahl he wore on his pinkie finger. After the constant green glow of the underworld it was pleasant to see the world in color again. He had to give his half brother one thing; at least he had gotten the Keeper off of his back. Darken's life was his own again.

"My Lord, it would seem that a woman fell from the roof and landed quite hard upon the throne room floor." Darken paused for a moment watching Egremont's face to see if this was the man's idea of a joke. If so, it was exceptionally idiotic. Who ever heard of a woman falling from the roof that couldn't be crouched upon?

"And how Egremont, did a woman fall from a completely smooth stone roof?" He asked it calmly, still looking at his advisor. Egremont looked uncomfortable, but he hadn't served Lord Rahl for this many years by being a fool. He knew that in a temper the tyrant wouldn't hesitate to use the blood of any servant close enough to cut; for his journey book. He moved back ever so slightly. Darken, of course, missed nothing.

"I do not know my lord. The Mord' Sith are standing guard but there really isn't a need. When she hit the floor she went unconscious. Also, My lord, she is dressed in very strange attire indeed."

"Bring her to the healing center then, by all means. I shall investigate the matter myself." And why not, it would alleviate the boredom of his day. That was part of the treaty after all. His brother, the seeker, and that damn Zeddicus Zul Zorander had only agreed to help him be rid of the Keeper's command if he agreed to rule only D'hara. He had nothing left to conquer, no lands to preside over. It was humiliating. But at least he was free. The Lord Rahl served no one. He made his way to the healing center, Egremont trailing in his wake. When he came upon the woman, he stopped short.

Her clothing was indeed very strange. She was garbed in a pair of tight, formfitting trews that seemed to have been cut off mid thigh, and adorning her torso was a large black tunic of some kind that had green designs and white writing on it in a language he had never encountered before. Her feet were covered in a strange skintight white material that stopped at her ankles. But it was only after he took in the oddity that was her clothing, that he realized how beautiful she was. Long red hair was spread in curls and waves that looked as though they might fall past her bottom. Pale, unblemished skin seemed to glow in the firelight. Her legs went on forever, and it seemed that she was in the habit of ridding herself of body hair. Everything about her was luminous, somehow. She looked innocent and defenseless lying in the bed, but the defined muscles in her legs, and the strength in her toned arms, obvious even now, told a different story. He looked at the healer.

"Well?" The healer, a short mousy woman with black hair and eyes stepped forward, tightening her apron.

"My Lord, physically I can find nothing wrong with her. It seems that she is merely in a deep sleep, but nothing I do wakes her. I would say that she is a woman of some means as she is well fed, and strong, all her innards healthy. Her hands are soft, obviously unused to hard labor. Craynos can tell you more." She gestured to a tall, lean fellow garbed in a white robe. Darken turned his attention to the sorcerer, who stepped forward.

"Lord Rahl. My tests show her to be about twenty years of age, as the nurse said, very healthy. What is interesting my Lord is that the tests also show that there are some subtle differences in her physiology. Her brain is slightly larger than ours are for example. Her internal organs are in slightly different places, off by a few millimeters, and a tad smaller, except for the lungs which are larger. Her musculature also, is lighter; however her bones are longer and denser. She may be a mortal My Lord, but she is unlike any of us. We will know more when she wakes."

"Why does she sleep?" Darken asked curiously.

"She shows signs of having traveled through some sort of rift in the veil. Her spirit is recovering its strength, and while it is, she will be unable to wake her physical body. And my lord, I warn you now, she bears traces of magick other than what sent her here. She may be a sorceress." Darken Rahl did not acknowledge his Sorcerers advice. He did not need to. However he did find his interest peaked. Where had the woman come from? Why was she here? What exactly was she, and could she be of use to him? Perhaps she would make a good Mord' Sith, even though they were usually trained at a young age. Was this perhaps some trick of the Keeper's, meant to lure him back into a service he had only just barely escaped. Perhaps it was a ploy of the Seeker's. If she was a spy for his half brother, then she would be in for a world of pain when she awoke.

"Nadia." He called softly. A tall woman clad in red leather moved forward, her long braid swaying like the tail of a cat.

"Yes Master Rahl." She bowed her head. Stand over this female. If she is violent or dangerous when she awakens, subdue her and put her under training. If she is calm, bring her to me for questioning unharmed."

"It will be my pleasure to serve you Master Rahl." She said, and then moved over to the bed and stood there, eyes taking in everything in the room, and also the woman. He smirked. He knew that Nadia had a preference for members of the same sex. Turning, he walked back to his tower. He had much to think about. After all, he wasn't about to honor a treaty made with his bastard half brother. He simply had to be patient, and await the opportune moment.

Then he would strike, and retake the midlands. After that he would find a way to take out the barrier and take the Hartlands. Then the Westlands would fall under the command of the House of Rahl. Soon he would rule once again. Soon his vast army would be able to go and do its deadly work. It had taken him a lifetime at first, but now, he knew other things, had the power to stay alive long past his natural span of years. There was time aplenty for him, and he would relish the day when he could finally destroy the Seeker, and the idiotic resistance fighters, whom he knew still met regularly. He would bring peace to the Midlands yet, and this time, he would win. With a small smirk on his face, he turned and headed for his bedchamber. And until the opportune moment, he had the mystery of the woman to occupy his mind with. That is, when she decided to awaken.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The first thing that Christa was aware of was feeling like she had been run over. Almost every muscle was sore. The other thing she was aware of was a sense of being in a strange place, like she wasn't exactly in Kansas anymore. Her eyes fluttered open, taking in a vaulted stone ceiling. She took note of the fine linen she was laying on and the red leather clad behind of a woman standing by her bedside. Her surroundings were completely unfamiliar.

She knew a moment of complete disorientation. She was on a flat bed in a room full of white fabrics and what looked like medical equipment. Several horror movies raced through her head, scaring her, until she realized that other than being sore she was unharmed. There was a mousy looking female in a severe white apron at the other end of the room, rummaging through what looked like a very old book. She sat up slowly, groaning as her muscles protested the movement. The woman clad in red leather turned to look at her holding up what looked like some sort of leather beating stick. Her long braid swung behind her, eyes taking her in.

Christa stood up and looked around warily.

"Hello. Where am I?" The woman looked her over and, seeming to reach some sort of internal conclusion hung the beating stick on her leather belt.

"You are in the healing center of the People's Palace in the great land of D'hara." Christa blinked. Yup, definitely not in Kansas anymore.

"How did I get here?" Asked Christa. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"That is a question better answered by Master Rahl. Come, I am to bring you to him now that you have awakened." The woman turned around and began to saunter off, obviously expecting Christa to follow her. For lack of knowing what to do, Christa did. The halls they passed through were highly reminiscent of a castle she had seen when she'd gone to Germany on a school trip a few years ago. There were no tapestries though, only banners that all bore the same mark. She assumed it was like a coat of arms.

One thing she noticed was that she seemed to be taller than most of the women they passed, and that everyone was looking at her strangely. Of course, she thought, that might have been because of her clothing which was not only more revealing than theirs, but also made of very different material. They passed a hall where people were on their knees praying. She caught some of the words.

"Father Rahl protect us. Father Rahl guide us…" Christa raised an eyebrow. They were praying to their king? She had a feeling this guy wasn't exactly rainbows and daisies, especially after a second look at the dominatrix guard she was following. People gave the woman a very wide berth and no one met the woman's eyes. Christa ran her hand through her long red hair, and took a deep steadying breath as they paused outside a set of huge stone doors which were guarded by a pair of huge; muscle bound guards, also clad in red. They nodded at the woman and opened the doors, admitting them into the huge hall behind them. Christa looked around in wonder at the sheer size of it.

The large domed room gave off the impression of being absolutely vast. Maybe it truly was or maybe the many windows afforded it a size it didn't truly possess. Her feet were a tad cold on the stone floor despite her socks and she was suddenly very preoccupied with the tall man standing in the back of the room on a raised dais. He seemed to be discussing something important with an older man who had a distinguished look about him. She stayed quiet as the woman brought her in front of the dais.

"My Lord Rahl. The female has awakened." The tall man with the shoulder length mahogany hair turned, his red and gold embroidered robes swirling about his feet, to fix Christa with a piercing gaze. Even if the woman hadn't referred to him as Lord Rahl, Christa would have known him for a leader.

"You may leave us Nadia."

"Yes Lord Rahl." Nadia saluted with a leather clad fist over the heart, and walked off with alacrity. His eyes had not left her the whole time. If she were honest with herself he was really rather intimidating. Yet for some reason she felt an inexplicable safety infuse her being. Somehow she just knew he wouldn't harm her. Christa kept her face carefully neutral, thinking it would be better to let him speak first. She did not drop his gaze. Finally he moved forward, fiddling with a ring on his pinkie finger.

"So, the sleeper wakes finally." She nodded, to let him know she had heard but wasn't sure how to respond, so she didn't say anything. She was under the impression that he was analyzing every breath she took. "Well, what is your name girl?"

"My name is Christa sir. Christa Lynn Jones." He nodded and walked around her, circling like a shark. Again the feeling that she should be afraid struck her, and yet she wasn't.

"Do you know where you are Christa?" He asked, his voice gentle, yet hard like steel.

"The woman, Nadia, told me that I was in the People's Palace in a land called D'hara." She said, stumbling a little over the unfamiliar words, trying to remember them. He nodded.

"And did Nadia inform you as to the way you arrived?"

"No, she didn't."

"Then you may be interested to learn that your entrance was rather an extraordinary one. Can you tell me how it is that you managed to appear out of nowhere in the vicinity of the roof of this room and fall to the floor?" Her eyes widened in shock. Well that explained the sore muscles. His sharp eyes took in her bewilderment.

"Honestly I have no idea. One minute I was going to sleep in my own bed. When I woke up I was in your healing room." He seemed to accept her answers for the moment.

"And how is it I wonder that your internal organs are placed differently than ours?" Christa's brow furrowed in consternation, her analytical mind taking over.

"What do you mean placed differently?" He halted looking surprised, but only for a split second. Christa guessed that he wasn't used to being questioned. The older man walked forward.

"He means miss Christa that your organs are placed several centimeters differently than our own, and even your very bones are denser." Christa blinked and bit her bottom lip as she thought it over; going through every possible solution in her mind, but none of them made sense of this inexplicable event. She sighed.

"KISS!" Her sudden outburst startled the two men. Lord Rahl raised an eyebrow at her.

"Excuse me?" She didn't even hear him, but instead started pacing.

"Keep it simple stupid! It's practically a scientific theory. When all the possible options for explaining something are proven invalid then the impossible must be possible. So then it must therefore be possible, since no other explanation makes sense that I have somehow traveled either through time, or through both time and space. The first seems unlikely given your different physiology, so then it must be that I have somehow traveled through space and time and ended up here. But how? I was just sleeping. Someone must have sent me here, but then that raises the question of who and why, not to mention a resounding how. Such technology doesn't even exist yet." She was pacing as she muttered to herself, her brain working double time. It was about three minutes into her musing that she remembered she wasn't alone. She glanced at Rahl, whose eyebrow was still raised, and Egremont who was suppressing laughter. Chagrined she stopped her pacing and smiled apologetically.

"It is safe to assume you have some education."

"Yes." Christa nodded. Egremont smiled at her.

"So you are of nobility then? Are you a royal?" Christa laughed, earning her a minor glare.

"No, where I come from there really is no such thing. There used to be, and those families still exist but they have roughly the same privileges as everyone else; more money perhaps, but no real power."

"You mean to tell me there are no monarchies who hold power?"

"Well I'm sure there are but not in any of the powerful countries." She sensed that power was a big deal with this guy. He nodded as he watched her. Finally he sat in his throne.

"Egremont will take you to find you some less…. Revealing clothing, and inform you better of where you are. Then you and I will speak." Christa nodded, and looked expectantly at Egremont who stepped forward and offered his arm. Raising an eyebrow at the old fashioned gesture, but otherwise saying nothing she let him escort her out of the hall; the eyes of Darken Rahl on her back the whole way.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three.

D'Hara was beautiful, stunning in fact. Everything was full of light and perfection, except for the fact that it was all a farce. All of it was fake, covering up darkness at the heart of the place; in the heart of its ruler.

Egremont had been most helpful in finding her a room, and clothing that fit. She had been offered a place amongst the sisters of the agiel who made much of her height and denser more enduring bone structure. They seemed to think she would make a good M'ord – Sith. She had considered it before she found out exactly what the M'ord- Sith were, and that agreeing to be one meant agreeing to do anything the Lord Rahl asked. And that meant anything.

In fact, it had taken her the full three months she had been here to find some way to be useful. Why had she tried so hard? Because she had quickly come to realize that those who weren't useful to the enigmatic Lord Rahl tended to disappear.

No, Christa had found her niche in the libraries and science rooms. Her know how, which in the regular world, (the world she had come from) was sadly basic, was practically a miracle here where they hadn't had ideas like plumbing, and proper irrigation yet. Christa had endeavored to make herself an asset that was irreplaceable. She had no desire for her life's blood to be used as ink for Darken Rahl's journey book.

The man was certainly around her often enough. He seemed to think that she had a brilliant mind and was always overseeing her plans. Today she was helping the wizards and scientists to create plumbing. She took herself out of her reverie when she noticed that Lord Rahl had been watching her disappear into her own headspace.

"Well the plans for the piping are simple enough, especially with Giller's magick to help us. The only real problem we have is where to dump the waste and how to get rid of it. Are there any creatures that will eat the waste or dispose of it?" She asked the drab wizard. He looked at Christa in thought for a moment.

"Putting a spell on the dump site should be simple enough." He studied the map. "About here should do for a dump site." Christa leaned over the map.

"Your right. All we need to do then is to modify the pump design so that they all lead to a main pump going through here." She motioned to a blueprint of the castle. "And with the aid of your magick, no one needs to fill the unhappy job of pump cleaning or maintenance. Once completed this should work better than the pump systems in my world." Lord Rahl studied their plans for a moment, fiddling with his insignia ring like he always did.

"You have succeeded again Christa, in not failing me. This will be put in motion tomorrow." Christa smiled at him.

"Thank you Lord Rahl. I promise, the improvement to quality of life will be worth the effort."

"I believe you Christa. If you would come with me." He walked away, in his imperious fashion, obviously expecting her to follow him. She did of course. Her feelings about her new benefactor were mixed. He was kind enough to her, and highly intelligent. They had had some very interesting conversations, and she found him a soothing companion when they were alone. He was quiet, and something about his calm presence served to center her.

Yet she didn't like the way he did certain things. He was good to his own people, and he made for a conscientious ruler. However there was something cruel and evil that lay at the center of who he was. He was as likely to sacrifice a baby to the keeper as he was to kiss it. And that was the other thing. She had been researching the belief systems of this place while she had been here and she was absolutely certain that he was aligned with the keeper in a very personal way. He had an air of darkness around him that spoke of forbidden things. But perhaps that was part of what made him so enigmatic; that little taste of the darkness; the forbidden. She hated the way he hurt innocent people.

But Christa was if nothing else a practical woman. She knew better than to betray him. Her quality of life on this world relied completely on whether or not she was in his favor. And so she bit her lip and kept silent whenever he did something cruel. He led her to his private wing and into the circular room he used as a study, motioning to a comfortable divan. She always sat there when he brought her up here, and she did so now; curling her legs underneath her, and arranging her dress. It was black and curved to fit her form in a most flattering way. The purple sash at the waist fell in delicate waves the length of the dress, and the sleeves were nothing more than gossamer purple and black fabric that hung like faery wings to her wrists. Her hair was down as it always was; left to hang to her waist. He studied her for a moment before turning back to the window.

"You always wear black and purple. Why is that Christa?" He asked, his slick voice as deep as ever. Christa shrugged.

"They are my favorite colors Lord Rahl. I wore them all the time back home too."

"You have always dressed so?" He turned and gestured to her dress.

"No. Clothing is very different there. The women wear similar clothes to the men, just a little more feminine." He nodded.

"You are unused to dresses then?" She wasn't sure but she thought that maybe he was joking. So she laughed.

"Oh yes. My mother used to try and dress me in these pink frilly abominations when I was a little girl." He smiled.

"You never speak of your life Christa. I would like to know of it."

"Okay, what do you want to know about?"

"What is the place you were born called?"

"I was born in a hospital; kind of like a healing center; in a place called Harrisburg Pennsylvania."

"Is that a small town?"

"No. Small compared to places like New York City or any of the other metropolis cities. But Harrisburg is the state capital of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a state inside of the country of the United States of America."

"And how many states are in that country?"

"There are fifty states and several commonwealths." He turned and gave her his full attention.

"That is a vast territory. Your king rules it all?"

"No king remember? Our government isn't a monarchy like this one. It's a Democracy. There is a president elected by the people, but the country is ruled by the president, the senate, the congress, the state representatives… Basically the people vote and then the government argues amongst themselves until something is decided." He nodded.

"How does your government hold the territory?"

"We have one the biggest armies, navy, and air forces in the world."

"What is an air force?"

"Soldiers, who pilot big flying machines that are equipped with destructive weapons, fly over enemy territory and drop the weapons, which then explode and kill the enemy."

"That would certainly be a military advantage."

"It is." Said Christa seriously.

"Do you know how to make these flying machines."

"I'm sorry no. I was never taught the logistics of making them. Not to mention all the materials that would probably be needed that don't even exist here." He nodded.

"And does your country rule all the others?"

"No, they rule themselves."

"Your country gets along with all the others?" Christa laughed.

"Heavens no. There are wars every few decades or so. But most countries agreed to cease wars for reasons of conquest."

"How do you find my country in comparison?"

"It is both similar and completely different at the same time Lord Rahl. Of course there are differences in the government. Your country is far less technologically advanced, however what you lack in technology you make up for with magick which is something relegated to myth and fable in my world. Your laws are more stringent, and people are not free to worship whatever god they like here. They also don't have the right to free speech, which is a matter of great importance in my country."

"Right of free speech?"

"Yes. It means that people can say what they like to whomever they like with the exception of treason. So if someone doesn't like the way the government is doing things they can say so both privately and publicly. It's the best way to keep the government from abusing its power. The people keep the government in check and vice versa. It's a check and balance system. Here is someone speaks out against the government, they don't often speak again." He raised an eyebrow at her and she was at once afraid she had gone too far and offended him. It's just that he was so easy to talk to and she had gotten comfortable enough around him to give her tongue free reign. He was too hard to read because of that unflappable calm he had. He moved forward and offered her his hand. Warily she took it, and he helped her to stand up.

When she did he pulled her up against him. She looked up into his piercing gaze, her own eyes widened in fear.

"Of all the people in this palace my dear, you are the last person who needs to be afraid of me." It was then that she realized that he liked her, and not just because she was useful. Her cheeks heated as she finally understood that Lord Rahl wanted her. The feel of him against her may have added to her blush, but she would never admit that. At least not right now. He fingers found her cheekbone and traced the curve of her jaw. "I like that you are honest with me and do not try bow and scrape. I find it…refreshing."

"That's a good thing. I'm terrible at pretending." He smirked at her and moved slowly, his lips millimeters from hers, so that when he spoke she could almost feel his lips move.

"One day, Christa, you will belong to me. Consider this your advanced notice."

"And what…what if I say no?" He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, his lips meeting hers in a surprisingly gentle kiss that shivered all the way to her toes. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to melt in his hold. He released her after just a moment and studied her face with that intense look again, before that smug smirk graced his features.

"I think, my dear Christa that you will not say no to me." He released her. "You are dismissed." Shaking slightly, her head in a whirl she walked out of the room, blushing at the knowing look of the Mor'd-Sith guarding Lord Darken Rahl's private wing.


End file.
